Concealed carry legal in Ill. after lawmakers override veto

Illinois today became the last state in the country to legalize the concealed carry of guns

By Kevin McDermott
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Senate has joined the House in overriding Quinn's amendatory veto, on a 41-17 vote.

Concealed-carry is now the law of Illinois — though it will be months before any permits are issued, pending implementation of the new system.

With no debate, the Illinois House today easily overrode Gov. Pat Quinn's amendatory veto of the state's pending concealed-carry law.

On a vote of 77-31, the chamber voted to override the tight restrictions Quinn attempted to write into the bill, and to put the original language into law.

The override measure now moves to the Senate, which is expected to pass it this afternoon.

Illinois is under orders from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago to have a concealed-carry law in place by today. The court ruled that the state's last-in-the-nation ban on concealed carry is unconstitutional.

After months of negotiations, the Democrat-controlled Legislature sent a concealed-carry bill to Quinn in May for his signature. But Quinn, a vocal opponent of concealed carry, instead used Illinois' unusual "amendatory veto" provision last week to write extensive new proposed restrictions into the bill.

They included a one-gun limit per carrier, a 10-round limit on ammunition and wide curtailment of where guns could be carried.

If the Senate follows the House lead and votes to override Quinn's changes, the law will give the Illinois State Police 180 days to implement concealed carry. After that, Illinois resident who hold state Firearm Owner Identification cards can apply for a five-year concealed-carry permit for $150, to be issued within 90 days.